Method for operating a transmission system and transmission system in an energy supply network

ABSTRACT

At least one centralized transmission facility is connected via the power supply lines of the power supply network to the decentralized transmission facilities with a decentralized repeater function being appropriately positioned in the power supply network in the event of there being insufficient transmission range of the centralized to the decentralized transmission facilities. According to the invention, part of the decentralized transmission facilities are additionally fitted with repeater functions in such a way that they can be configured via the centralized transmission facility as a decentralized transmission facility and/or as a decentralized transmission facility with a repeater function. In this way, if centralized transmission facilities cannot be reached, an alternative path is determined and the transmission system is automatically reconfigured.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and hereby claims priority to GermanApplication No. 101 47 772.4 filed on Sep. 27, 2001, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In addition to wired and wireless telecommunication lines, the powersupply lines of power supply networks are increasingly used for thetransmission of information, particularly information from the Internet.For this purpose, at least one centralized transmission facility, knownin technical parlance as a powerline modem, is usually provided, that isconnected via the power supply lines of the power supply network todecentralized transmission facilities with, in the case of Internetinformation transmission, the centralized facility being directlyconnected to the Internet and the decentralized transmission facilitiesbeing connected to an Internet terminal, for example a computer. Becausethe transmission range of the transmission facilities is limited, if thetransmission range of the centralized transmission facility to thedecentralized transmission facilities in the power supply network isinsufficient at least one repeater transmission facility, i.e. adecentralized repeater function, is positioned in the power supplynetwork in such a way that transmission of information from thecentralized to the decentralized transmission facilities and vice versais possible. The repeater transmission facility is usually positioned insuch a way that information communication takes place over the shortestor most direct route. To guarantee information communication in theevent failure of repeater transmission facilities of this kind, it isimportant that redundant repeater transmission facilities be held inreserve in the power supply networks, via which redundant facilities theinformation communication is rerouted by a network management functionof the transmission system. This necessitates additional financialexpenditure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to reduce the cost of the redundancy ofthe repeater transmission facilities. This object is achieved, startingwith a method for operating a transmission system in a power supplynetwork or a transmission system.

The essential aspects of the method in accordance with the invention orof the inventive transmission system is to be seen in that at least apart of the decentralized transmission facilities are additionallyprovided with repeater functions such that they can be configured fromthe decentralized transmission facility as a decentralized transmissionfacility and/or as a repeater transmission facility. The essentialadvantage of the integration of the repeater transmission facility or ofthe repeater function in the decentralized transmission facilities isthat a large part of the components present in the decentralizedtransmission facilities, such as coupling and transmission technologycan also be used for the realization of the repeater function and thus asubstantial reduction in the financial cost of the repeater function canbe achieved. The protocol computers of the decentralized transmissionfacilities are merely to be provided with a general protocol platformwith which both the functions of the decentralized transmission facilityand also the functions of the repeater function can be realized, with aneconomic realization of the protocol platform being achieved due to theincreasing power of processors, computers and memories combined withcost reduction. A further advantage of the method in accordance with theinvention is that the reconfiguration is automatically controlledwithout the intervention of maintenance personnel, with the informationcommunication of the transmission facilities not affected by thereconfiguration not being disturbed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent and more readily appreciated from the followingdescription of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a transmission system in a powersupply network.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the transmission system arrangedand reconfigured according to FIG. 1 after a partial failure of thepower supply network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elementsthroughout.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 each show a power supply network EVN, represented byan oval line, of power supply lines (not illustrated) to which severaltransmission facilities UE are connected, that together form atransmission system for the communication of information via a powersupply network EVN. For the exemplary embodiment it is assumed that acentral transmission facility UEZ and the remaining transmissionfacilities UE are, as decentralized transmission facilities UED,connected to the power supply network EVN. A transmission system of thiskind serves, for example, to connect the personal computers connected tothe decentralized transmission facilities UED to the Internet (notillustrated) via the power supply network EVN and the centralizedtransmission facility UEZ, with the establishment and clearing of theconnections necessary for the Internet information exchange, includingresource and network management, being coordinated by the centralizedtransmission facility UEZ.

The decentralized facilities UED are, according to the invention,configurable as decentralized transmission facilities UED with andwithout a repeater function RF, i.e. the properties of the decentralizedtransmission facilities UED can be remotely set by a network managementfunction, that is realized within or outside the transmission system,corresponding to the geographical conditions of the power supply networkEVN and the transmission ranges of the transmission facilities UE, withthe transmission ranges being essentially determined by the transmissionmethod used and the propagation conditions.

In the example of a configuration, two transmission facilities UED1without a repeater function RF are configured in range area 1 of thecentralized transmission facility UEZ and at the limits of range area 1two transmission facilities UED1/RF each with a repeater function RF areconfigured. A range area 2, 3, shown by doted lines, is assigned to eachof the transmission facilities UED1/RF with a repeater function RF. Inthese range areas 2, 3, further transmission facilities UED2, UED3 areconnected to the power supply network EVN, with these transmissionfacilities UED2, UED3 being arranged outside range area 1 of thecentralized transmission facility UEZ. With the aid of the repeaterfunction RF in the decentralized transmission facilities UED/RF, furtherremote decentralized transmission facilities UED, that otherwise can nolonger communicate with the centralized transmission facility UEZ, areconnected to the centralized transmission facility UEZ, with therepeater function RF essentially realizing the reception andre-transmission of the relevant transmission signals. Thisre-transmission forms a further range area 2,3 over which further remotedecentralized transmission facilities UED can be reached and cancommunicate with the centralized transmission facility UEZ in the senseof a data exchange, for example for Internet connections. This meansthat the paths for the information exchange between the centralized anddecentralized transmission facilities UEZ/UED are established and thesepaths including the configuration of the transmission facilities UE aredefined with or without a repeater function RF and stored in thecentralized transmission facility UEZ as a topology of the transmissionsystem. This also includes the ranges 1 . . . 3 of the relevanttransmission facilities UED/RF that are determined by the transmissionrange of the particular transmission facilities UE.

The increasing availability of inexpensive components of transmissionfacilities UE, such as low-cost memories or computers, makes itpossible, based on existing components such as housings, power supplyassemblies and circuit boards and particularly using existing couplingand transmission technology, to additionally integrate the repeaterfunction RF economically into the transmission facilities UE. All thatis additionally required is to realize a technical program platform forthe various protocols necessary for the decentralized function of thetransmission facility UEZ and the repeater function RF, with it beingpossible to achieve the technical program realization particularlyeconomically. The activation or configuration of the repeater functionRF in the decentralized transmission facilities UED is controlled by anetwork management function that is realized in the central transmissionfacility UEZ or in higher-level network management centers (notillustrated) connected to the centralized transmission facility UEZ.

If it is determined, for example by a temporary or continuous monitoringof the transmission system or by a message from a subscriber using thetransmission system, that decentralized transmission facilities UED canno longer be reached, an alternative path is determined in thecentralized transmission facility UEZ or in a higher-level networkmanagement system (not illustrated) by the topology data of thetransmission system stored there, and decentralized transmissionfacilities UED are configured with regard to their repeater function RFin such a way that the unreachable transmission facility UE can again bereached. In this case it should be noted that the original configurationof the transmission system has already been carried out in such a waythat an alternative path is possible. With the exemplary embodiment, letus assume that an interruption in the transmission between thecentralized transmission facility UEZ and one of the decentralizedtransmission facilities UED 1 occurs, or is reported, at the pointmarked X in FIG. 2 and the decentralized transmission facility UED1 canno longer be reached from the centralized transmission facility UEZ.

An alternative path from the decentralized to the no longer reachabledecentralized transmission facility UED1 is determined in thecentralized transmission facility UEZ or by the network managementfunction. The newly determined path leads from the centralizedtransmission facility UEZ via its range area 1, restricted due to thefault in the power supply network, to the decentralized transmissionfacility UED1/RF with the assigned range area 2 and to the decentralizedtransmission facility UED2 arranged at the limit of its range area 2.This transmission facility UED2, that up until now has been configuredwithout a repeater function RF, is to be provided with a repeaterfunction RF for the newly determined path, with this having a range area4 by which the decentralized transmission facility UED1/RF with rangearea 3 can be reached. Because the unreachable transmission facilityUED1 is arranged in range area 3 of transmission facility UED1/RF, thiscan now be reached through the newly determined path via transmissionfacility UED1/RF with range area 3. In accordance with the invention,with the aid of the network management function in the centralizedtransmission facility UEZ or in a higher-level facility (notillustrated), the decentralized facility UED2 is configured at the limitof range area 2 with a repeater function RF with a range area 4 and thedecentralized transmission facility UED1/RF with range 3 is configuredas transmission facility UED3/RF that can no longer be reached from thecentralized transmission facility UEZ but instead from transmissionfacility UED4/RF with range area 4, with transmission facilities UED3,arranged in range area 3, being reached via decentralized transmissionfacility UED3/RF.

Both the detection of the unreachability of decentralized transmissionfacilities UED and the complete reconfiguration of the transmissionsystem including determining alternative paths can automatically beperformed without the intervention of maintenance personnel by a networkmanagement function in the centralized transmission facility UEZ or in ahigher-level facility, for example a network management center. Afurther advantage of the method in accordance with the invention is thatthe transmission of information at transmission facilities UE notinvolved in the reconfiguration is not disturbed, i.e. thereconfiguration measures remain limited to those transmission facilitiesUE whose repeater function RF is configured and whose assignment totransmission facilities UED with repeater function RF or to other rangeareas 1 . . . 4 is changed.

An advantageous reconfiguration of transmission facilities UE can beachieved by strategic planning of the configuration of the transmissionsystem taking account of failure areas. In this way, the transmissionfacilities UE, that are fitted with a repeater function RF and can beconfigured with range areas, are positioned in the transmission systemin such a way that in the event of transmission facilities UE beingunreachable via these transmission facilities UE with a repeaterfunction RF and their range areas, alternative paths to the unreachabletransmission facilities UED can be determined and configured.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference topreferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understoodthat variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit andscope of the invention.

1-8. (canceled)
 9. A method for operating a transmission system in apower supply network having at least one centralized transmissionfacility connected via power supply lines to decentralized transmissionfacilities, comprising: providing a decentralized repeater function atan appropriate position in the power supply network for an inadequatetransmission range of the centralized transmission facilities to thedecentralized transmission facilities; and providing at least some ofthe decentralized transmission facilities with repeater functions to beconfigured when needed in accordance with a network management functionin one of the centralized transmission facility, the power supplynetwork and the decentralized transmission facilities, as a function ofa network topology of the power supply network and transmission rangesof the decentralized transmission facilities.
 10. A method according toclaim 9, further comprising, when a decentralized transmission facilityis unreachable, automatically configuring other decentralizedtransmission facilities and the repeater function thereof in accordancewith the network management function and the network topology of thepower supply network assigned to the network management function toenable communication between the centralized and decentralizedtransmission facilities.
 11. A method according to claim 10, furthercomprising when one of the decentralized transmission facilities isunreachable determining an alternative path for the communication ofinformation from the centralized transmission facility to the one of thedecentralized transmission facilities using affected decentralizedtransmission facilities in accordance with the network managementfunction; and configuring at least some of the affected decentralizedtransmission facilities with the repeater function as required by thealternative path.
 12. A method according to claim 11, further comprisingduring at least one of an initialization and a reconfiguration plannedas part of one of expansion and reduction of the transmission system,configuring the decentralized transmission facilities and the repeaterfunctions thereof in accordance with the network management function andthe network topology of the power supply network assigned to the networkmanagement function to achieve a shortest possible transmission path.13. A method according to claim 9, further comprising configuring thetransmission system with the at least some of the decentralizedtransmission facilities with the repeater function having a range areaand positioned so that alternative paths are available to anyunreachable transmission facilities; and determining relevantdecentralized transmission facilities to be configured with the repeaterfunction thereof when any of the decentralized transmission facilitiesbecome unreachable.
 14. A transmission system in a power supply networkof power supply lines, comprising: at least one centralized transmissionfacility; and decentralized transmission facilities connected via thepower supply lines of the power supply network to said at least onecentralized transmission facility, including a first group of saiddecentralized transmission facilities having a decentralized repeaterfunction and appropriately positioned in the power supply network whenthere is insufficient transmission range of said at least onecentralized to reach all of the decentralized transmission facilities;and a second group of the decentralized transmission facilities having aconfigurable repeater function that is configured when needed.
 15. Atransmission system according to claim 14, further comprising a networkmanagement function for configuring said centralized and decentralizedtransmission facilities.